Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) yesterday announced his bid for next year’s presidential election, asking people to give him four years to “let Taiwan shine on the global stage.”
At a news conference on the roof of the Taipei International Convention Center, Wang was greeted by hundreds of supporters, despite the rain.
“I have stepped forward to unite all walks of life to once again demonstrate the robustness of Taiwan’s spirit. I shall boost Taiwan’s global visibility and lead it to the world,” said Wang, who served as leislative speaker for 17 years.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
At a time when the US president questions what their nation has gained by “splurging money to defend Taiwan” and when China continues to reiterate that Taiwan is an integral part of its territory, it is critical to take a stand, and defend the nation’s sovereignty and pursue growth, he said.
“Instead, we have engaged in bickering, confrontation and stalling, sending the nation on a downward spiral,” he said.
Citing the nation’s achievements as the world’s leading supplier of information and communications components, Wang said the nation should unite in telling the world that Taiwan is an indispensable member of the international community.
Hailing Taiwan as “a nation exporting love,” he said love is how the nation has cemented its reputation and would navigate the world, for “mercy has no enemy.”
This philosophy can also be applied to the nation’s relationship with China, as the sons and daughters of the zhonghua minzu (ethnic Chinese, 中華民族) have the same roots, he said.
Taiwan is the future hope of the zhonghua minzu, he said.
Quoting former US president John F. Kennedy’s 1961 UN speech, he said: “Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind.”
“The two sides of the Taiwan Strait must end war, or it will end the ‘mainland’ and Taiwan,” he said.
“If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner. The aphorism shows the way for the future of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait” he said, quoting former South African president Nelson Mandela.
With Taiwan’s great potential and resilience, it can aspire to become a great nation, but inaction and “faulty policies” — such as the “one fixed day off, one flexible rest day” labor policy and pension reforms — have hindered the nation’s development and caused people to lose faith in the government, he said.
Therefore, he would put forward his own platform, which he hoped would spark discussion and ultimately align their view of the public, thereby helping society achieve harmony so that Taiwan could become a strong and proud nation, he said.
The shared vision of Taiwanese is to allow their values and contributions to be recognized by the international community, he said, asking people to “give him four years” to realize that vision.
“Beautiful and virtuous Taiwan is just like an aircraft carrier sailing on the Pacific Ocean. I, an experienced and resolved captain, shall guide Taiwan toward a promising future,” he said.
Wang’s news conference was attended by 17 KMT lawmakers, former Examination Yuan president Hsu Shui-teh (許水德), former minister of the interior Lee Hung-yuan (李鴻源) and former Miaoli County commissioner Liu Cheng-hung (劉政鴻).
Additional reporting by CNA
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
OBJECTS AT SEA: Satellites with synthetic-aperture radar could aid in the detection of small Chinese boats attempting to illegally enter Taiwan, the space agency head said Taiwan aims to send the nation’s first low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite into space in 2027, while the first Formosat-8 and Formosat-9 spacecraft are to be launched in October and 2028 respectively, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council laid out its space development plan in a report reviewed by members of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee. Six LEO satellites would be produced in the initial phase, with the first one, the B5G-1A, scheduled to be launched in 2027, the council said in the report. Regarding the second satellite, the B5G-1B, the government plans to work with private contractors
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he
‘NARWHAL’: The indigenous submarine completed its harbor acceptance test recently and is now under heavy guard as it undergoes tests in open waters, a source said The Hai Kun (海鯤), the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, yesterday began sea trials, sailing out of the Port of Kaohsiung, a military source said. Also known as the “Narwhal,” the vessel departed from CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard at about 8am, where it had been docked. More than 10 technicians and military personnel were on deck, with several others standing atop the sail. After recently completing its harbor acceptance test, the vessel has started a series of sea-based trials, including tests of its propulsion and navigational systems, while partially surfaced, the source said. The Hai Kun underwent tests in the port from